Biological sciences

Bc/10 is involved in t(1;14)(p22;q32) of MALT B cell lymphoma and mutated in multiple tumor types

Article Abstract:

High grade or low grade mature B cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) are the most typical kind of lymphoma occurring in extranodal sites and, in most cases, occur in the gastric mucosa. A t(1;14)(p22;q32) recurrent translocation breakpoint cloned from a low grade MALT lymphoma case and adjacent to a novel gene Bc/10 was found to exhibit Bc/10 frameshift mutation resulting in truncation beyond an amino-terminal caspase recruitment domain. Among other findings, data suggests that Bc/10 truncating mutations may confer a survival benefit to MALT B cell lymphomas.

Identification of the cell fate gene stalky in Dictyostelium

Article Abstract:

A 'stalky' mutant was isolated by restriction enzyme-mediated integration using plasmid pDIV5 from Dictyostelium stalk cells. The gene disruption technique showed that mutant falls in the genetic complementation group stkA. It was selectively expressed in the prespore region of aggregates but there was a low level of expression in early aggregates. The gene product STKA localized at the nucleus and contained two putative zinc fingers, indicating that it is a DNA-binding transcription factor.

The DNA-binding protein HMGI-C has been identified as the gene that is disrupted at the 12q14-15 chromosomal breakpoint in lipomas. Lipomas are mesenchymal neoplasms in humans having cytogenetic aberrations involving chromosome 12 in bands q14-15. The HMGI-C gene has been localized to chromosome 12q14-15 in mice and its disruption leads to small mice who have less body fat than normal mice.